Hand-stamp.



Patented Oct. 3|, `|899.

R. H. SMITH.

HAND STAMP.

(Application filed Mar. 15, 1898.)

J. W5/Mr THE :f qnls Nans co., Pnmauwo, WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFI-Ien.

RICHARD HALE SMITH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

.HAND-STAM P.

sPEcIFIcATIoN fermingpart of Letters Patent No. 636,077, dated october e1, 1899.

Application filed March 1 5, 1 8 9 8.

To @ZZ whom/it may concern.-

Beit known that I, RICHARD HALE SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing lic-Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts,have invented new and useful Improvements in Hand- Stamps, of which'the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of hand stamps wherein the grip or handle is flexibly attached to the part which carries the printing-die; and my object is to provide a more sensitive adjustment of the printing-face to the surface to be imprinted when pressed or struck upon it at any reasonable angle, to prevent danger of rebound and insure sharpness and uniformity of'impression with a minimum of noise, jar, or effort on the part of the user; to provide means to regulate the degree of flexibility, to prod ucean interchanging ilexible handle, and to provide an inexpensive, practical, and durable form of construction.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is an elevation of a metal-mounted rubber hand-stamp embodying my invention, a portion of the gure being broken away to a line on the center, showing the parts in `section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the thimble used in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an ordinary wood-mounted rubber' stamp provided with my improvement. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a modied form of cushion.` Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a metal-mounted rubber stamp, showing my improvement in modied form. Fig. 6 is an isometric view of the inner thimble, and Fig. 7 is a like view of the outer shell of thimble shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the cushion used in Figs. 5 and 9.V Fig. 9 is a. sectional side View of a wood-mounted stamp, showing my improvement in a modified form. Figs. 10 and 11 are planviews of the two-part thrust plate or diaphragm used to sustain the cushion in Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a wood-mounted stamp, showing a modified form of my invention. Fig. 13 is a plan View of that part of Fig. 12 below the line A B. Fig. 14 is a side eleva- Serial No. 673,954. (No model.)

tion, partly in section, of a wood-mounted stamp, showing my invention in inodilied form; and Fig. 15 is a plan view of that portion of Fig. 14 below the line A B.

The construction and operation of my device will be readily understood on reference to the drawings, in which I have shown a handle flexibly attached to the die-carrying part by' means of an engagement which is cushioned both above and below a thrust-plate, which may be of any suitable form, but rigidly attached to either thedie-carrying block or to theY handle, the result in either event being the same.

In detail, a indicates a die or printing-face; b, a die-carrying part; c, a retaining-case; d, a handle; e, a stem; f, a thrust-plate; g, a cushion.

In Fig. 1 I illustrate a construction wherein the thrust-plate, in the form of an annular flange or diaphragm f, is made a part of or rigidly attached to lthe thimble or ferrule-like tubular piece c, and as the part c is rigidly attached to the die-carrying part I) it will be seen that the thrust-plate f is rigidly attached to the block b through the medium of the part c. A cushion g, whichmay be formed in one or more pieces, preferably of spongy rubber, is arranged on each side of the thrustplate f, and a stem e (comprisingin this instance a screw) passes ythrough 'the cushion and is fixed in the handle d. The opening through the thrust-plate f is of greater diameter than the body ofthe stem or screw e where it passes through the plate f, thus allowing the stem to incline from side to side without contact with the plate as the handle is deflected or changed from its normal position. The stem or screw e may be provided with a head 4of sufficientv area, or a washer t' may be inserted between the head and lower face of the cushion of sufficient size to properly compress the cushion, but not large enough to strike the thimble, even when most deflected. The thimble or tubular part c may IOO tened when forced into place. It will be observed also that in this construction the thimble c forms a retaining-case for the resilient cushion, by which means lateral as well as vertical compression of the cushion is utilized. It will now be seen that as the stamp is used in the act of forming the imprint, it not being always possible to bring down the die upon the surface to be imprinted in a plane parallel with such surface, one edge of the stamp will first come in contact with such surface, and the downward pressure upon the handle will cause a detiection in the connection between the handle and the thrust-plate f, thus allowing the die-carrying block to be tilted until the face comes squarely down upon the surface, regardless of whether the handle is at that time at a true right angle with the surface or not, thus giving an imprint of uniform appearance throughout.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate a like construction, excepting that in this figure Ishow the thimble or tubular part formed of greater strength and set into the die-carrying block instead of onto it, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the part c bei ng by preference also interiorly threaded, so that it may be united with a boss on a metal mount-plate having a suitable exterior thread similar to the boss shown in Fig. 1. The tubular part c may be constructed in various ways, and in Fig. 1 I have illustrated it as formed of a cartridge-drawn tube or shell having an annular riugfcrimped in and closed together, this being a very inexpensive means of constructing this portion of the device. As illustrating another form of construction I have shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 this portion of the device formed of three parts, an exterior plain tubular part and an interior part formed of two pieces j, the two together forming a shell, with the inner annular flange f forming the thrust-plate. The parts j fit snugly within the exterior part c, and when so combined, with the cushion inserted, the lower end is forced over a boss, which tends to further bind the side walls of the parts together and forms a practicallyintegra'l part. This construction is adapted to a cushion fornled in one piece, h'avingits upper and lower parts connected by a neck, as shown in Figs. 5, 8, and 9.

As another modification of the construction of the thrust-plate I illustrate in Figs. 9, 10, and 11 a construction wherein a recess is formed inthe die-carrying block and two thin plates fl are arranged to insert from opposite sides into an annular groove in the cushion and set one over the other, engaging the cushion, as shown in Fig. 9. It will readily be seen, of course, that the partf may, if preferred, be formed of a single piece with the central opening, and if the cushion be formed of two or more parts, a portion being arranged above and a portion below the plate, the result will .ward the left.

be the same. It will also be seen that the shape of the plate or plates may be varied.

As another modification I have shown in Figs. 12 and 13 a construction wherein the thrust-plate in engagement with the cushion is rigidly attached to the handle by a stem instead of to the die-carryin g block, as before described, and in these figures I show a recessed type-carrying block having a cushion g mounted therein, the platefbeing molded and vulcanized within the center of a rubber cushion. The opening in the die-carrying block above the cushion is made sufficiently large to allow the requisite play of the stem. In Figs. 14 and 15 I illustrate a like construction, avoiding, however, the forming of a re cess in the block and mount the cushion above the block, it being held in position by the em ployment of an overhanging cup-shaped case c, suitably fixed to the block. The part is by preference struck up from sheet metal, and, as before described, a portion of the cushion is above and a portion below the plate f, the

two parts being molded to fit the plate and prevent displacement, or it may be vulcanized in one piece, incasing the plate, as shown in Fig. 13, with the addition of being also vulcanized into the metallic retaining-case, adhering iirmly to the inner surface.

It now becomes evident that any exure of handle toward the right must cause a simul taneous and substantially equal compression of the resilient cushion upon each side of the plate with which the cushion is in engage ment. Vthen this plate is in the form of a diaphragm, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 9, that part of the cushion lying ou the upper side of the diaphragm or plate will be compressed toward the right edge and the portion of the cushion below will be compressed to- When the plate is in the form of a disk, as shown in Figs. 12 and 14, the

IOO

reverse of this is true, although the result is the same and accomplished in the same manner. Vthen the printing-face is released from contact with the surface to be imprinted, the resiliency of the cushion causes the stamphead to resume its normal position at right angles to the handle. It will also be observed that with the construction illustrated there are no metals that clash and that friction, 'sudden shock, and noise are avoided, as all the shifting parts are cushioned. A metal spring-cushion may be substituted for the rubber cushion and a very serviceable device be made. I prefer, however, to employ rubber. I provide means for the user to easily regulate the degree of iiexibility, thereby adapting the same liexible handle to a large or small die-block, a heavy or light faced printing-die, or when the cushion has become shrunken after long use by readjusting the tension upon the cushion. As illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, the construction of the stem is in the form of a screw, which upon being IIO set up compresses the cushion more closely bearing-surface by and between which and against each side of the plate, thereby decreasing the iexibility.

In Fig. 9 I illustrate a modification in the construction of the compressing or adjusting mechanism, which consists of a thimble or ferrule m interiorly threaded and mounted upon the threaded end of the handle so that, as will readily be seen, if the ferrule m is turned in one direction its lower face presses against the cushion g, thus carrying the handle and its stem e upwardly and compressing the cushion g above or between the head of the stem and the lower face of the ferrule m and upon both sides of the plate. It will of course be readily seen that the threaded engagement may be between the stem to the ferrule or a collar m as well as between the handle and the collar.

Another advantage growing out of the construction of my device is found in the fact that when constructed as described the handles are interchangeable and may be attached to either wood or metal mounts, regardless of the size of the mounts, thus avoiding the necessity of constructing a special handle for a special mount and avoiding the necessity heretofore existing of dealers carrying alarge stock of all sizes, thus reducing the expense of manufacture and cost to the consumer.

Having therefore described my invention,

- what I claim, and desire to secure' by Letters l. In a printing-stamp the improved means of iiexibly connecting the handle to the die carrying head, consisting of a thrust-plate soI secured between resilient cushions as to receive the entire direct thrust and an upper the thrust-plate some portion of the cushion is compressed by iiexure of the handle in any direction while in the act of stamping.

2. In a hand-stamp, a handle, a die-carrier, an independent removable central stem, a thrust-plate, and a cushion engaging the stem and thrust-plate so as to receive the entire thrust and flexibly connect the handle and die-carrier, substantially as shown.

3. In a hand-stamp, a die-carrier, a handle, a thrust-plate attached to one and a cushion attached to the other, so arranged as to engage both sides of the thrust-plate whereby the direct thrust is cushioned and the handle and die-carrier are fiexibly secured together.

4f. In a hand-stamp, the combination of a handle, a die-carrier, athrust-plate, a cushion engaging the thrust-plate on both its upper and lower surfaces and having a stemreceiving opening, a stem substantially iilling the opening in the cushion and means to hold the upper and lower surfaces of the cushion under vertical compression.

5. In a hand-stamp, a handle, a die-carrier, a cushion, a central stem and means for securely attaching the parts together and arranged to engage and compress the cushion vertically between its upper and lower faces.

6. In a hand-stamp, a handle, a die-carrier, a cushion flexibly connecting the handle and die-carrier together, and means to adj ustably compress the cushion whereby the degree of ileXibility of the connection may be regulated.

RICHARD HALE SMITH.

Witnesses:

ALLEN. WEBSTER, S. SWEENEY. 

